Press Release

Falcon announces new holiday destination from City of Derry Airport

NORTHERN IRELAND Tour Operator of the Year Falcon Holidays unveiled its new Summer Sun 2005 programme today with a number of exciting new destinations out of both City of Derry and Belfast International airports and lots of special offers for early bookers.

Holidaymakers in the north west of the country will be delighted to hear that they can now enjoy package holidays from City of Derry Airport to the Algarve in Portugal – now available alongside existing programmes to Majorca and Costa Dorada.

Speaking at the launch of Falcon’s new Summer Sun 2005 and Premier Hotels & Private Villas 2005 brochures, NI Director Christine Donnelly said she was delighted with the continued development of the company’s City of Derry operations.

“When we launched the first ever package holiday from City of Derry Airport to Majorca in 1999, we promised then that we would monitor demand in the hope of introducing new destinations in the future,” said Christine.

“Following the success of our City of Derry programme in 2004, we are pleased to give our customers in the north west a new choice for next summer with the addition of the ever popular Algarve in Portugal,” she said.

“We are sure that Portugal will be a popular addition to our City of Derry portfolio as we continue to deliver a variety of holiday options to customers in this region,” she added.

Seamus Devine, City of Derry Airport manager, said: “We are very excited that Portugal is being added to the range of destinations now available from the airport and we would like to thank Falcon for their commitment and wish them every success on their new departure.

“The introduction of package holidays to the Algarve adds to the impressive range of travel options now available from City of Derry and is great news both for the airport and for holidaymakers from all over the North West - confirming our position as the number one departure gate for the region,” he added.

Chairman of the Airport’s committee Councillor John Kerr also welcomed Falcon’s decision to expand the range of destinations available from the airport and said he was confident that the new package holidays to Portugal would prove ‘extremely popular’.

Also new for Summer 2005 is Falcon’s first summer package holiday programme from Belfast to Bulgaria, a country of unspoilt natural beauty with some of the best beaches in Europe. Not only that but Falcon will also, for the first time, be flying directly from Belfast to Dalaman in Turkey, opening up a range of new Turkish resorts including Marmaris, Sarigerme, Olu Deniz and Hisaronu.

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Investing for the Future

Another major new feature of the Summer Sun 2005 brochure is the introduction of four new Holiday Villages in Majorca, Lanzarote, Costa Del Sol and Turkey – each built to the company’s own specifications to ensure that guests enjoy the best in accommodation, facilities and service.

Christine Donnelly believes that the Holiday Village is like a self-contained resort in itself.

“Our new Holiday Villages are taking the family holiday to another level in terms of interactive family activities and facilities all contained within one complex,” explained Christine. “Each Village features superb quality apartments with fantastic pool areas and entertainment to suit all tastes. Bars, restaurants, gyms, cinemas, discos and kids play areas are all self-contained and each complex has its own team of reps and entertainers to make sure that there’s plenty to do for young and old alike,” she added.

Keeping the Kids Happy

Falcon research shows that kids spend up to 20 hours per week in kids clubs – giving parents the opportunity to relax on their own for a while safe in the knowledge that their children are having a great time and being looked after.

44 properties in this year’s brochure offer exclusive Falcon Kids Clubs, in partnership with Bugs Bunny and friends at Looney Tunes – 13 of which are Family Plus properties hand-picked for their family-friendly location and excellent facilities.

The brochure also features an excellent selection of pre-bookable extras which include even more professional soccer coaching schools from UEFA qualified coaches and ex-professional footballers in a range of resorts and swimming classes for the kids with a fully qualified Swim Kids Instructor.

Early Bird Bonanza

Christine expects a lot of seats to be snapped up by early bookers wanting to avail of the free places and special deals on offer in the new Summer Sun 2005 brochure.
There are thousands of free child places, grandparent places and one parent family offers up for grabs not to mention Falcon’s Early Bird Bonanza which offers customers booking before July 31 2004 the opportunity to save up to £100 per adult on certain dates and properties.

On top of all this, Falcon continues to offer customers its unique two-way guarantee which assures holidaymakers of the lowest prices as well as added flexibility when booking before July 31 2004.

Premier Hotels & Private Villas

Falcon’s Premier Hotels & Private Villas 2005 brochure offers customers a holiday with that extra touch of class and attention to detail – featuring a wide range of carefully selected four and five star premier hotels and private villas across a choice of destinations. Most of the hotels offer spa facilities to help guests with hectic schedules to unwind and forget about the stresses of working life back home. Transfers between the airport and most hotels or apartments are provided by private taxi or, in some cases, a minibus.

Early villa bookers (before July 31 2004) will receive a free car hire upgrade and the brochure also offers free places for groups, free welcome grocery packs in villas and special pre-bookable baby care packages in selected villa destinations.

Holidaymakers wanting to find out more or make a reservation should click on www.falconholidays.co.uk, call Falcon Direct 90 389 389 or visit their local travel.

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MEDIA ENQUIRIES: There follows a page featuring highlights of Falcon’s Summer 2005 package at a glance. For further information please contact Michael Rafferty of GCAS Public Relations on 028 90 557777.

For additional information contact:

Press Office

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